Illuminated handbag



J. COHEN ILLUMINATED HANDBAG June 1, 1943.

Filed Jan. 4, 1941 INVENTOR.

BY en 0 fro Patented June 1, 1943 2,320,409 ILLUMINATED HANDBAG Jonas Cohen, Los Angeles, Calif. Application January 4, 1941, Serial No 373,154

2 Claims.

This invention relates to utility articles and more especially to ladies handbags having means for illuminating the interior thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and inexpensive article of the character described. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a lady's handbag having means to illuminate the interior thereof.

Another object is to lighted ladys handbag having a. slide fastener type closure adapted to light the interiorthereof when the slide operator is actuated to the open position.

Other objects and advantages will appear and 1 be brought out more fully in the following speciflcation, reference being had to the'accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a handbag embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation sectional view of the same. I

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to thedrawing, I show a lady's handbag having side portions 5 of any suitable material such as leather, suede,

fabric or the like, having end wall portions 6, and a pair of strips of hookless fasteners I along the top edge portions thereof, an operator 8 being provided for the strips of fasteners of conventional design. A strip 10 of any suitable material having substantial to the interior of one of the end walls 6, and is adapted to support a flashlight casing II which is held thereto by a plurality of straps l2 having snap fasteners l3 secured to end wall 6, whereby the flashlight may be removed for replacement 40 of the cells or lamp if necessary. The flashlight II is provided with a suitable lens portion ll adapted to direct the light rays laterally and downwardly, and may be adjustable as to direction 1: preferred. A pair of switch contacts Ii 5 are provided on'flashlight I I, and are adapted to be inter-connected by member ll secured to operator 8 when the operator is actuated to open provide an electrically l0 stiffness is secured the slide fasteners at the end of its travel at the battery end of the bag.

The operation of the invention should be obvious from the foregoing description, from which it will be clear that the interior of the bag becomes automatically illuminated by the opening thereof by the slide fastener, thus facilitating the search for any article or articles wanted in the bag which is otherwise usually dark, requiring tipping of the bag and likelihood of spilling the contents. These objections and other apparent ones are obviated by the present invention.

It will be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative rather than restrictive of the invention, and that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the sub-joined claims.-

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. A bag as described, having side and end walls, a closure for a pair of said walls including a stringer of hookless fasteners having an operator, a supporting member along an end wall for a flashlight, a flashlight secured to said supporting member, said light having a pair of switch contact closing members projecting upwardly above the light adjacent the end of said stringer, and an abutment member projecting downwardly from said operator and adapted to engage and walls, a closure for a pair of said walls including 7 a stringer of hookless fasteners having an operator, a supporting member along an end wall for a-flashlight, a flashlight secured to said supporting member, strap means having snap fasteners adapted to secure said light to said support, said light having a pair. of switch contact closing members projecting upwardly above the light adjacent the end of said stringer, and an abutment member projecting downwardly from said operator and adapted to engage and interconnect said switch contact members to close the circuit to the light when said operator is moved to the open position-of the bag.

I JONAS COHEN. 

